good morning. breaking news, secretary of state hillary clinton in high-level talks right now about the crisis in syria as nbc news learns the syrian military is awaiting final orders to use chemical weapons on its own people. what can the u.s. government do to avoid a catastrophe? dire warning. 26 days left until the deadline and a top official says the president is willing to go off the fiscal cliff if necessary. and some republicans signal they may be ready to give in on a key sticking point. and heading home, a smiling duchess of cambridge and prince william leave the hospital this morning, four days after she checked in with extreme morning sickness. we're live in london today,

thursday, december 6th, 2012. >> announcer: from nbc news, this is "today" with matt lauer and savannah gurthrie live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. and good morning, welcome to "today" on a thursday morning, i'm savannah gurthrie. >> and i'm matt lauer. nice images to see out of london over the past couple of days. we've been watching duchess of cambridge. she seemed a little shaky as she held the railing. we're going to have more on that story and, of course, the ridiculous prank played out by the deejays later on. >> good job, prince william with the flowers. a story we covered a few months ago. two bodies discovered in a wooded area in iowa on wednesday. while authorities believe they are the remains of two young cousins who vanished back in

july. on a different note, an important rossen report investigates for travelers. how thieves can easily get past the lock on your hotel room door. and this is really easy. >> very scary story. and then have you ever been to a restaurant and walked in and realized it is so loud you cannot hear the other people you are having dinner with? well, there's actually a reason behind this. we will explain. >> but on this thursday morning, we begin with the escalating crisis in syria. pentagon sources tell nbc news that the syrian military has chemical weapons locked and loaded and they're just waiting for the order to fire. let's go to nbc at the pentagon. mick, good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning, matt. u.s. officials tell us that the syrian military is now prepared to launch chemical weapons attacks against its own people. now, those sources say that the precursor chemicals to create that deadly sarin nerve gas have now been loaded on to aerial bombs at missile site depots and

that they have -- that could be dropped from war planes on to the syrian people. now, the u.s. intelligence detected a flurry of activity around the chemical sites earlier this week and then confirmed just yesterday that, in fact, the deadly sarin gas has been loaded on to those bombs. they stress, however, that as of now, the bombs remain in the depots have not been loaded on the planes and president assad has not given the fatal order to attack, matt. >> hey, mick, a few days ago, president obama warned the syrian regime, if you use chemical weapons, quote, there will be consequences, and you will be held accountable. talk to me about any viable military options the u.s. has at its disposal right now. >> the preemptive strike is pretty much limited. ground troops out of the question. as syria has one of the most robust air defense systems in the world given to them by the

russians. and cruise missiles could be launched but not against the missile sites themselves because that would indicate and could easily spread the deadly sarin gas. some have suggested, our, cruise missiles could be launched at regime targets. you know, but the solution to this may be occurring right now as we speak there in dublin where secretary of state hillary clinton is holding an unscheduled meeting with the russian foreign minister about syria. russia is syria's largest ally. if they can be convinced to withdraw some of that support, then it appears that the days for president assad's regime could be over. >> all right. mick, thank you very much. here's savannah. >> thanks. and we'll go to london now where the duchess of cambridge has been released from the hospital this morning as she recovered from a severe form of morning sickness. michelle kosinski has the latest. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, savannah. after experiencing at least four

days of the severe, relentless form of morning sickness, today duchess kate is feeling well enough to return home. about two hours ago, we saw prince william arrive. he's been spending each day at kate's side. but soon, both of them emerged. kate looking a bit tired but managing a sort of smile and holding a bouquet of yellow roses that staff here had given her. in a statement, the palace says she will head to kensington palace for a period of rest. and the royal highnesses would like to thank the staff at the hospital for the care and treatment the duchess has received. >> thanks, and i know you'll have more coming up, including an apology from those deejays who made that prank call to the hospital and found out about kate's condition. natalie's got a lot of the headlines over at the news desk. good morning to you. >> good morning, everyone. and we begin in kabul where karzai tells nbc news that the u.s. is not sticking to a signed agreement between our two

countries. nbc atia abawi spoke to president karzai. good morning, atia. >> reporter: good morning, natalie. president hamid karzai had strong words directed toward the u.s. and president obama about the future relationship with afghanistan. he says that the u.s. has violated the strategic partnership that the president signed last week. and he says it's a breach of afghan sovereignty. >> we signed the partnership agreement with expectation and hope that after signing the strategic partnership agreement the nature of the united states activity in afghanistan would change. >> reporter: u.s. casualties have dropped compared to 2011, but still 300 americans died in afghanistan this year alone. as for afghans, the united nations says that 3,000 civilians were killed from january through july. >> so who would you say is

behind the insecurity? is it al qaeda? the taliban, or someone else? >> part of the insecurity is coming from terrorism. part of the insecurity is coming to us from the structures that america created in afghanistan in the private security firms. the contractors that they promoted at the cost of afghan people. and the way they behaved with afghan people and the anger that has caused in the afghan people, and the resulting insecurity. >> would you say you believe that some of these would be intentional insecurity brought by nato in the united states? >> there is a very strong perception that some of that insecurity is intentional, yes. >> reporter: and when i asked him if he trusted the united states' motives in afghanistan he said, once bitten, twice shy.

natalie? >> thanks so much, atia. a new york city homeless man has been charged with second-degree murder in the death of a man pushed in front of a subway train. 30-year-old naeem davis is being held without bail. he served two years in prison for robbery. on wednesday, the victim's family spoke out. his daughter says she wishes someone had helped her father off the tracks but said, quote, what is done is done. a candle light vigil in iowa on wednesday. hunters discovered two bodies that are believed to be the missing cousins, 11-year-old lyric cook and 9-year-old elizabeth collins. the girls last seen in july, disappeared while riding their bikes. computer software mogul john mcafee arrested in guatemala city for entering the country illegally. he said he had been seeking asylum there after fleeing belize where he is a person of interest in the shooting death of his neighbor.

music legend dave brubeck is being remembered today for bringing jazz to the people. he died just a day shy of his 92nd birthday. perhaps best known for his ground breaking hit "take five." ♪ that cut released in 1959 was on the first -- one of the first jazz albums to sell more than 1 million copies. and that song's still so rel vent to so many generations. 7:09 now back to savannah, matt, and al. >> used to play that a lot at my house. >> natalie, thank you. >> it was magic. >> that's cool. all right. let's get our first check of the weather this morning. >> we're still dealing with wet

weather and our friends in the pacific northwest. more pacific moisture coming on in. and so we are going to be looking at another 1 to 2 inches of rain, anywhere from 1 to 2 feet of snow in the cascades, bitter root mountains looking at anywhere from 6 to 9 inches of snow. and more showers in the upper midwest with some icy conditions in the u.p. of michigan, plenty of sunshine through southern california, look for fog along the southeastern atlantic coast. plenty of sunshine here in the northeast, but temperatures anywhere from 5 to 10 degrees below average. that's what's going on around the country, but first, we're going to get your local forecast right after this. >> good morning.

we will see plenty of sunshine today. high temperature this afternoon, a few degrees below average. that's your latest weather. here's savannah. new movement this morning to try and avoid the fiscal cliff. some republicans are considering abandoning their staunch opposition to higher tax rates according to recent reports. alan simpson was co-chair on the commission of fiscal responsibility. he's a co-founder of fix the debt campaign and joins us now.

senator simpson, good morning, it's great to see you. >> great pleasure to be off the witness protection program and come here. but what even more fun, david brubeck used to come to wyoming a great deal. he and his family, lovely people. i did not know he had passed. and to hear that music, it's iconic stuff. anyway. so it's good to sneak in and get made up, try to hide my identity. >> well, it's good to have you here. you say you're in the witness protection program because you've been out there on the issue of how we fix our national deficit. as you well know, we face the fiscal cliff, a series of tax hikes and spending cuts that many people think if they go into effect will put the country into recession. yet we heard the treasury secretary tim geithner say the president is willing to see the country go off the fiscal cliff if republicans do not accede to his demands. >> it's probably pretty real. but you can't get to where we need to go by cutting spending,

that won't cut it. you're going to destroy a fragile economy. you can't get there by taxing your way into it and you can't grow your way out of this. you have to have a blend. when you have leaders of parties and people from the administration saying i think it will be to the advantage of the democrats to go off the cliff or i think it will be advantage to the republicans to go off the cliff or the president to go off the cliff, that's like betting your country. there's stupidity involved in that. this is big-time stuff. >> let me ask you about a report that some republicans now are perhaps willing to see the tax rates rise to some degree on top earners in exchange for later getting a better deal on some of these spending cuts. but tieing it to that vote to raise the debt ceiling basically saying that debt ceiling vote is our point of leverage. do you agree with that approach? >> when they get to that, they'll do the same blood letting they did in august. that's the way that will be. but you can't get there -- the threats going back and forth, you know, we're going to do

this, we're going to go off the cliff. let me tell you, there's a group out there that doesn't care about democrats or republicans or presidents, and there's people we owe $16 trillion to. and they see us as a dysfunctional government. we are a deficit -- we're in deficit of $1.1 trillion, if that isn't a stimulus, the drinks are on me. that's what that is. and unless you get in there, people are going to say, i've got an idea for you, you're addicted to debt, we're going to loan you more, and when we do that, interest rates will kick up and inflation will kick in and guess who gets hurt the worst? the middle guy, the middle class. >> it's not thee yatrics on the part of congress, but they're confused. isn't that pathetic? >> i don't know, a lot of people are confused, especially the people who don't understand what's coming before december 31st.

what's different is they dug their own snare. they put the chain on their own ankles, they have to do something before december 31st, before you get a mindless cut of $600 billion in defense. you've got the payroll tax you've got to bring back from 4.2 to 6.2. where the hell was the aarp when they cut the payroll tax? madness is half a word. these guys if you gave them 90% of them a profit loss statement in one hand and a balance statement in the other, they wouldn't know how to read it. same here. >> if anyone were to doubt your commitment to this issue, i have to show a clip we saw on the internet recently. this is -- >> i don't want to see it. >> yeah, this is you doing gangnam style. >> stop instagramming your breakfast and tweeting your problems and getting on youtube so you can see gangnam style. ♪

>> well -- >> care to explain? you're trying to reach young people, i guess this is as good way as any. >> i thought the guy said pretend you're riding a horse and -- let me tell you. you have to reach young people and you have to reach the people with the www.fixthedebt.org. the can kicks back. these are young people. let me tell you, the young people aren't organized. the senior citizens are so well organized, they've got the aarp, the committee for the preservation, the silver head legislators, the pink panthers, they are organized and they don't give a whip. this younger generation better learn to take part or get taken apart. >> perhaps gangnam style is the way to get through them -- >> well, i'm not going to dance that thing again. >> well, we do have the music cued up. >> what? >> i'm just saying. >> i'll do it with you. >> i don't need that much

provocation. senator alan simpson. just a little laugh, though? >> yeah. >> 7:16, we send it over to matt. >> apple is the world's most valuable company, and its future has been a focus for a lot of speculation since the death of steve jobs. tim cook is now in charge at the helm for just over a year. he opened up to nbc's brian williams in his first television interview since taking over as the ceo and revealed a big change coming to apple. >> why can't you be a made in america company? >> you know, this iphone, as a matter of fact, the engine in here is made in america and not only are the engines here made in america, but engines are made in america and exported. the glass on this phone is made in kentucky. and so we've been working for years on doing more and more in the united states. next year, we will do one of our existing mac lines in the united states. >> let's say our constitution was a little different and president obama called you in tomorrow and said get everybody

out of china and do whatever you have to do, make these, make everything you make in the united states. what would that do to the price of this device? >> honestly, it's not so much about price, it's about the skills et cetera. over time, there are skills that are associated with manufacturing that have left the u.s. not necessarily people, but the education to stop producing them. >> that's sad. how do we get that back? >> well, it's a concerted effort to get them back. and with this project i've talked about where we will do a mac in the united states next year, i think this is -- this is a really good step for us. and the consumer electronics world was really never here. it's not a matter of bringing it back, it's a matter of starting it here. >> good morning, thanks for joining us here. >> while steve jobs liked to avoid the spotlight, he also thrived on it. as if he was selling products that were pieces of his own

soul. he was inventor, pitch man, and new wave pied piper all in one. tim cook is just a different guy. while he believes in the almighty product just as much. >> how are you not steve jobs? >> in many ways, one of the things he did for me that removed a gigantic burden that would've normally existed is he told me on a couple of occasions before he passed away to never question what he would've done. never ask the question what he would do, to just do what's right. >> brian williams' conversation with apple ceo tim cook. and you can see much more of that conversation tonight on rock center at 10:00/9:00 central time right here on nbc. and we'll go back to london where the duchess of cambridge is now resting at kensington palace as hospital officials deal with fallout from the embarrassing prank call that got

through to the hospital. michelle kosinski is with us once again. good morning. >> reporter: you know what? the more you hear of that phone call, the more incredible it seems that anyone, anyone could take those callers seriously. today the deejays themselves are stunned and apologizing while kate recuperates at home. duchess kate spent nearly four days in the hospital comforted by prince william. last night her sister pippa, brother james, and her mother. the hospital, though, still reeling from being seriously punked by two australia deejays. >> you are going to be the queen. >> this is awesome. >> i'm going to be prince charles. >> i'm the queen. >> simply dialing up this very private hospital. >> are they putting us through? >> yes. >> if this worked, it's the easiest prank call we've ever made. >> good morning, this is the nurses speaking. >> hello, i'm after my

granddaughter kate. i want to see -- >> she's sleeping at the moment and she's getting some fluids to rehydrate her because she was quite dehydrated when she came in. >> when is a good time to come and visit her because i'm the queen and i need a lift down there. >> reporter: it only got worse, yet continued to work. >> difficult sleeping in a strange bed, as well. >> yes, of course. >> nothing like the palace is it, charles? and when are you going to -- >> reporter: this morning the deejays are apologizing as themselves. >> wow. >> yeah. what was meant to be a simple prank call with very terrible accents with the expectation of being hung up on has turned into something huge. >> and tweeting, we're very sorry if we caused any issues for kate or the nurse. the performance getting terrible reviews from the hospital. >> i'm not impressed. i have to say. our nurses are caring

professional people trained to look after patients. not to cope with journalistic trickery of this sort. >> reporter: well, it's suspect that the deejays are saying they only meant to wish her well. they're calling her at 5:30 in the morning, what would they have done if they'd been patched in to her. put her voice on the air while she's ill in the hospital? coming up, a new scandal at penn state. offensive activities at a party, and a security crisis at a major hotel chain. rossen reports investigation reports on how thieves are gaining easy access to your room. first this is "today" on nbc.

coming up, why some restaurants are loud as a passenger jet taking off. and john travolta and olivia newton john teaming up.

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fever, fatigue, cough, or sores. you should not start humira if you have any kind of infection. ask your rheumatologist about humira, to help relieve pain and stop further joint damage before they stop you. >> this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am stan stovall. fire officials are trying to determine what started a deadly early-morning house fire in baltimore county. fire crews from baltimore and harford counties responded to sweet air road in jacksonville. a man was found inside the home and was pronounced dead iat the scene.

two firefighters were treated for minor injuries. here is sarah caldwell. >> this year by the minute. accident southbound on route 450 on u.s. 50 in the annapolis region. maiden choice lane is close at tanglewood due to a water main break in catonsville. if you are going to read southbound on 795, on average 28 mi. per hour from the owings mills area to the beltway. we can give you a live picture in that area could pretty heavy making away from white marsh down to the split. so far so good at the fort mchenry. sun glare issues on southbound 83 from padonia road. that brings us to tony pann. >> plenty of sunshine to start the day and that is a good thing. but it is a lot colder than the last couple of days.

upper 20's and low 30's. 21 in frederick. same thing in rising sun. a mixture of sunshine and 8 a few clouds but generally sunny. high temperatures between 44 and 49. we will be just below the mark in most neighborhoods. chance for a few rainshowers in the afternoon. same thing on saturday. it will get warm

♪ well, you loved them in "grease" 34 years ago, and now john travolta and olivia newton john have teamed up for a christmas album, including this original song which is called "i think you might like it," apparently not everyone does like it. how some people are reacting to it this morning. there are critics everywhere. 7:30 now on a thursday morning, i'm matt lauer alongside savannah gurthrie. >> they can do no wrong in my book. >> one of the original "grease" fans. >> exactly. coming up, are you safe in your hotel room? maybe not.

we're going to show you how easy it is for thieves to get past that lock on your hotel room and ask the question, is there anything being done to prevent it? then, if you feel like you're shouting every time you go out to eat, you're not alone. a lot of restaurants seem to be getting louder and louder, sometimes just doing an unbearable level, we'll explain that. plus, we were all shocked by that chilling story last christmas. a woman who lost all three of her little girls and her parents in a house fire on christmas day. well, this morning, we'll catch up with her, find out how she's doing one year later. but we want to start this half hour with a new controversy on the penn state campus. this time it involves a sorority. andrea, good morning to you. >> good morning, savannah. and goes without saying, this is a school that does not need more negative press right now. but a sorority on campus making headlines for taking an inappropriate photo at a party. many are calling it highly

offensive to the nation's fastest growing demographic. >> reporter: it's a picture worth 1,000 apologies. these penn state sorority sisters had some explaining to do after posing at a mexican themed party complete with mustaches and signs reading "will mow lawn for weed and beer" and i don't cut grass, i smoke it. >> didn't anyone at the sorority think possibly this type of party and this type of action would offend the hispanics and fellow students. >> reporter: the chapter publicly apologized for the photo that went viral. the sorority's national headquarters says it is investigating possible sanctions and provided this statement on wednesday. "personal degradation has no place in our organization, even if such behavior is meant facetiously or in jest." adding, we would be doing our members at penn state university a disservice if we did not take an opportunity to turn this negative experience into a teachable moment. it is a teachable moment that

comes at the expense of america's fastest growing minority group. hispanic americans make up 16% of the population and are projected to double in size by 2050. a surging power, hispanic americans have considerable influence on immigration reform and a decisive voice in national politics. without exception, almost every american minority has suffered the rough edge of cultural insensitivity at some point. on film -- >> everybody knows you people are lazy -- >> -- on tv and on college campuses. recently these baylor students dressed up wearing signs that read green card and climbing over a wall that some say resembles a border fence. >> there is one place we should be concerned about political correctness, it's in our institutions of higher learning, that's where we're preparing young people to go into society. >> for these penn state women, their most important lessons may

have come outside the classroom. >> penn state officials say they've investigated the matter and are appalled by the students' insensitivity and lack of judgment. however, school officials say the students and sorority will not be disciplined because they have a right to free expression, but officials there hope this will also teach them lessons. >> thank you. let's get a check of the weather now from mr. roker. >> today's weather is brought to you by kay jewelers, every kiss begins with kay. it's a chilly morningere in the northeast, but a good portion of the country still looking at fairly warm weather. the jet stream way up to the north. so we have above normal temperatures throughout much of the country with the exception of the northeast where there's a little bit of a dip. take a look at what happens over the weekend. the jet stream really takes a dip down to the south and so the plains seen much colder air. the mild air banked up into the northeast, into the southeast, and the gulf coast. but then as we get on into next week, there's a big dip in the

jet stream. we're looking at more normal temperatures, strong jet stream, and we may see some storm systems riding along that, bringing snow by the middle of next week for parts of the >> good morning. a big change temperature-wise today. it will be a quiet day. a mixture of sun and clouds. get that weather any time you need it. go to the weather channel on cable or weather.com online. this morning on rossen reports, what insiders are calling a new security crisis at hotels nationwide. a breach that could leave you

vulnerable during your next hotel stay. today jeff rossen is here with more on this. doesn't sound good. >> no, it's not, affects a lot of us, of course. staying in hotels. when you lock your hotel door, you assume you're safe and your stuff is safe. think again. thieves have invented a simple device that can actually unlock doors in potentially millions of hotel rooms at some of the most popular chains. the hotel industry has known about this problem for months. so why haven't they fixed it? >> this man is about to break into a hotel room. no kicking in the door, no fancy tools. instead, he's using this cheap homemade gadget to pop those electronic locks. and in just seconds he's in. we booked hotel rooms in new jersey where he did it again and again at this hyatt place. >> the only difference is i'm putting this underneath, door's

open. >> we're in. >> yep. >> at this ramada and double tree hilton. >> another hotel. >> another chain. >> same result. >> this security flaw so alarming even hotel managers are stunned. >> that's absolutely insane. >> the man breaking into rooms is jim stickley, a security expert working with us. the device he's using is so small, thieves can hide it in a magic marker. >> first thing you're going to do is plug -- >> reporter: and criminals are learning how to make it watching videos like this posted online. >> do you have to be a computer wiz to build one of these? >> no, just go online, you could do it in half an hour. >> all thieves have to do is plug it in and acts like a master key. even bypassing the dead bolt giving criminals access while you sleep. these locks are some of the most common used in hotels worldwide.

millions of rooms may be affected. >> the moment i opened the door, i felt violated. >> reporter: she was ripped off in houston. her laptop, her jewelry all stolen. >> my heart just dropped. somebody had, you know, been in my space. somebody has been through my stuff. >> reporter: police say it was this man, matthew cook who used the same kind of gadget at several hotels. now charged with felony theft, he pled not guilty. so what's being done? the hotel industry and the company that makes the locks have known about the problem since july. says it has broadly communicated available solutions, but five months later, we found this country inn and suites still in the dark. we showed the general manager. >> were you aware of this problem? >> no. >> she says no one ever alerted her to the issue. >> what are you going to say to them? >> i want all my locks changed.

>> in a statement onity says safety is the highest priority and all customer requests for these solutions have already been fulfilled or are in the process of being fulfilled. onity has given some hotels a free plastic cap to cover the port. the industry says they work, but not our expert. >> they're silly. they're basically a temporary fix at best. >> can a criminal still get through that? >> absolutely. takes a screwdriver and a minute. >> onity is also offering to upgrade the locks for a price. but many hotels haven't done it yet. >> we're working on a solution to it. >> reporter: joe is president of the industry group representing hotels. >> bottom line, the hotel industry has known about this problem for five months and while you and onity works out who's going to pay for what, doesn't that leave hotel guests vulnerable? >> not really. because we have extra security in a lot of the hotels. we're really looking at this as a number one priority --

>> what about the hotels we visited? we were able to get in, why can't a criminal? >> a criminal might be able to get in and -- but, you know, we really believe it's important for people to realize that they are secure in a hotel. >> reporter: but are they? he says they've hired an independent company to figure out the best solution and that takes time. >> months, weeks? >> i can't tell you. i don't have a crystal ball. >> but victims say that's not enough. >> they need to fix these locks because if not, somebody's life could be in jeopardy. >> we reached out to all of the hotels in our story, hyatt told us they have new security measures in place but wouldn't tell us what they are. the other hotels either referred us back to the industry group or did not respond at all. how do you protect yourself? experts say use the security chain on the door. and if you leave your room, keep your valuables in the safe,

matt, or take them with you and don't keep anything in the room. >> shocking how easy that is. >> it's been a long time since they've known about this. coming up next, can you hear me now? the reason it's become so loud when you go out to eat. and more men doing house work. or does it just look that way on tv? we'll get into that right after this. [ female announcer ] it's the moment when forever begins. kay jewelers presents the ring that lives up to the moment. neil lane bridal -- from hollywood's premier jewelry designer. the setting has to be perfect. it's where the diamond lives. [ female announcer ] uniquely beautiful, hand-crafted rings. with diamonds hand-selected by kay. the newest reason kay is the number one jewelry store in america. neil lane bridal. forever begins here. ♪ every kiss begins with kay

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back at 7:44. if you like going out to dinner and who doesn't? you may have noticed something about the restaurant scene these days, it's louder, much louder. and in some places, as loud as a jackhammer or subway train. what is this noise all about? here's nbc's mike taibbi. >> it's not your daddy's restaurant business anymore. more hard surfaces, open kitchens, fewer table cloths or curtains, less space between tables, and less comfortable chairs. and all that noise. this is a frame. >> i want yo uh to feel like you almost stumbled into a hub and we wrapped ourselves around you. >> reporter: but it makes conversation a challenge. >> for me, not quite normal.

i feel like i'm raising my voice. >> you're not at all. you're not at all. >> reporter: yeah, i was. it's loud here. this sound level meter says it's about 90 decibels. think a lawn mower or a 747 taking off. diners are complaining about noise more than anything else except bad service. reviewers and restaurant rating sites are now listing noise levels, a mini crisis to bon appetit. and restaurant architects acknowledging the move to industrial seat design and rooms that feel alive are working not to eliminate noise but to manipulate it. >> to appear more of a collage

that's pleasing. >> i wanted that holy grail of buzzsy, but conversational. >> reporter: here there are sound-absorbing panels taking the bounce off hard surfaces. and this, yes, there's an app for it. a computerized way to control, not just the sound level in different sections of the restaurant, but to customize the way those sounds are heard. it's a barely noticeable matrix of microphones and speakers that collects the noises of a crowded restaurant and then washes it all back out in kind of a soothing white noise bath. still, there are restaurant owners and restaurant goers who like it loud. but for those who complain they just can't talk -- >> usually if they're saying that, we'll turn up the music so we can't hear what they're saying. >> reporter: if i heard him right, i think he was joking. for "today," nbc news, los angeles. >> an idea whose time has come.

i can't hear a thing in restaurants. >> you do -- i have a difficult time having a conversation because i can't pick out your voice in the midst of all that noise. >> i'm the say way. and i lean in and i'm like, what? what did you say? >> exactly. >> our kids are -- >> they like that? >> yeah. enough noise at home. >> i've had whole conversations not knowing what i've said. i just started nodding -- >> same here. >> but enough about the show. >> and scene. coming up next, john travolta and olivia newton john's christmas video that has a lot of people talking this morning. ♪ [ male announcer ] watch out, casanova. there's a new ladies' man in town, and he knows to shop at walgreens during the holidays. we have great gifts at great prices, online and in the store. so you're sure to find something for that special someone -- even if you have several special someones.

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choose from thousands of diamonds and hundreds of settings. oh! please return your fiancée to her original upright position. [ female announcer ] get up to a $1,000 reward at jared, the galleria of jewelry. ♪ well, now john travolta and olivia newton john have teamed up again for a new video for their holiday song called "i think you might like it."

this one's off their album "this christmas." take a look. ♪ ♪ ♪ think you might like it >> well -- >> what do you mean well? how do you just say well. >> some people think it's cheesy out there. >> did they see "grease"? >> that's what i said. oh , yo

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>> this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am mindy basara. here is sarah caldwell and traffic pulse 11. >> very busy out there. at southwest accident on the outer loop at hollins ferry. 34 miles per hour just prior to the accident scene. much of this is volume-related. adding to those delays, that accident at hollins ferry. 13 miles per hour there. 795 out of the owings mills area, still experiencing slow going 27 miles per hour just

prior to the split. looking good at york road, but down to 34 miles per hour south of there from middletown to mount carmel. 97 southbound, slow as spot around 26 mi. per hour as you make a record 50. -- make your way towards 50. >> temperatures are in the upper 20s to around 30. 30 in the airport. we don't have to calculate wind chills to start the day. 21 in frederick, 29 in jarrettsville. this trend may continue as we head into the afternoon. a mixture of sunshine and a few high, thin clouds. high temperatures between 44 and 49. 40% chance for a few rainshowers

in the afternoon on friday. it is going to get warmer over the weekend, but we will keep that chance for a couple of showers and the picture. not going to be a washout. don't cancel any plans.

8:00 now on this thursday morning, it is the 6th of december, 2012. and it is beginning to feel a lot more like christmas. christmas seems a little chillier temperature, we're experiencing out here this morning on the plaza. a crowd full of smiles. and we say good morning to them. i'm savannah gurthrie alongside matt lauer and al roker. and what is coming up this morning? >> well, we're going to revisit a woman that we talked to about six months ago. she was part of an unspeakable tragedy. last christmas day madonna badger lost her three daughters and her parents when a house fire engulfed their home in stanford, connecticut. we talked to her about six

months ago at an extraordinarily difficult time in her life. we're going to catch back up with her and see how she's been doing over these last six months and how she is looking toward the future. >> must be a hard time of year for her. we look forward to catching up with her. on a much different note, ann curry has traveled to middle earth to get a fantastic interview with the one, the only peter jackson. a rare interview with him. he's going to show us revolutionary ways he's bringing the hobbit to life. and whether you've noticed it, a lot of advertisements now seem to be targeting men. they call it the mansumer. even some for diapers and all those things people used to call women's work. madison avenue catching up with changes that have already happened in the home. we'll talk about that coming up. >> all right. before we get to all that, let's get inside. natalie? >> good morning again, matt, savannah, and al. president obama and house speaker john boehner could be off to a fresh start in their efforts to avoid the looming fiscal cliff. the president resumed discussions with boehner on

wednesday. however, treasury secretary tim geithner kept up the tough talk telling cnbc the administration would let automatic spending cuts and tax increases take effect if republicans refused to raise tax rates on upper income americans. secretary of state hillary clinton and russia's foreign minister are holding surprise talks today on the deepening crisis in syria. the u.s. is concerned that syrian president assad's regime is on the verge of releasing chemical weapons against its own people. allies want assad to step down to prevent bloodshed. russia is syria's strongest ally. so support for any plan is critical. search and rescue teams are still finding survivors two days after a powerful typhoon bopha struck the southern philippines, but the death toll has climbed beyond 375, and hundreds of people are still missing there. survivors include a 3-year-old child pulled from under a crumbled house and a man who

lived for two days eating nothing but coconut. kate, the pregnant duchess of cambridge left the hospital where she was being treated for severe morning sickness. michelle kosinski is in london with the latest. good morning to you, michelle. >> reporter: after at least four days of this severe, relentless form of morning sickness, she now feels well enough to return home. and prince william has been at her side every day. today they left together. kate looking a bit tired but managing a smile and holding roses that the staff had given her. the palace says she will now head to kensington palace for rest. they want to thank the staff at the hospital for the care and treatment the duchess has received. >> thanks. and now for a look at what's trending today. our quick round-up of what has you talking online. 110 lucky canadians will soon be smelling like college dorm rooms. they've won bottled of limited

edition perfume that, yes, you heard it, smells like pizza. part of a social media based campaign by pizza hut's canadian brand. well, this video from collegehumor.com, calling out instagram addicts everywhere. ♪ everyone look at my feet get jealous i'm at the beach ♪ ♪ probably knew i was going there ♪ >> the parody of nickelback's "photograph" has inspired a twitter movement urging users to come clean about their own insta gram abuse. and six acts received six nods apiece. kanye west, jay-z, frank ocean, fun, mumford and sons and the black-eyed peas, but the highlight of the night was taylor swift was beat boxing while l.l. cool j. sang her hit song "mean." >> i can't sing. so we're even.

>> nashville. >> some day i'll be big enough so you can't hit me and all you're ever gonna be is mean. >> well, she wasn't nominated for any hip hop tracks, but "never ever getting back together" was nominated for album of the year. she does have talent as a rapper. let's go over to al with a check of your weather. >> "today's" weather brought to you by scrabble catch phrase, now it's a party. >> and good morning. it's a brisk morning out. everybody's nice and toasty, right? where are you from? >> iowa. >> so you're used to this. >> yeah. >> let's see what we have. what you're used to around the country. we're expecting to see rochester. morning showers giving way to sunshine, temperature 45

degrees. and you see, we've got wet weather pushing its way through the upper mississippi river valley bringing some icy conditions, some showers down through southern florida, also some leftover wet weather and mountain snows in the pacific northwest, plenty of sunshine through the gulf coast, some rain and snow showers in the central rockies today. sunny but chillier than usual >> good morning. we will see plenty of sunshine today. high temperature this afternoon, a few degrees below average. ♪ all right. have you heard of this new

online trend? it's called throwback thursday. >> nothing like whip 'em out wednesdays. we've had problems with that. >> hey, where are we going with this? >> okay. throwback thursday. every week celebrities and regular folks take to twitter and share memories of the past. they do it with the hash tag throwback thursday. it can be anything. so we are deciding to get into the act this morning. matt, you're first. >> one of our producers came to me and said what do you want to throw back to. there's this photograph from asperry park, new jersey, and it's me and the boss. part of an interview we did with him back as he was about to release "the rising." and i looked at the picture. i said, first of all, i like it because i have more hair -- >> that is a really cool picture. >> incidentally, that's also matt's christmas card every year. you're next miss natalie.

>> mine, i'm choosing a quote, it's a voice of our generation and many -- >> wise -- >> do i have to say it like him? >> yes. >> do or do not. there is no try. >> i'm channeling yoda. >> you sound like you need miralax. >> i tried. i'm sorry, yoda, it was terrible. >> yeah, i don't think the quote -- actually, i do believe in trying. so i disagree with yoda, just pointing out. >> all right. al roker? >> after the passing of dave brubeck yesterday, take five, and i remember as you were talking about, my parents played this album to death along with other albums. what i remember really -- my dad saying i want you to listen to this when i was in sixth grade. and it's one of those albums that is part of your life, part of the sound track of your life. >> this song, we hear it all the

time over and over again. this song is currently throughout "madmen," as well. >> and you chose. >> i said how about fondue? you know, in the '70s? we used to have fondue for dinner and i enjoyed that. >> john travolta, olivia newton john, and melted cheese. >> throwback thursday. up next, have you noticed it why ads traditionally targeting moms are going after men? [music] "dance of the sugar plum fairies" ♪ ♪

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♪ back at 8:13 this morning. "today's" consumer targeting the m mansumer. companies are responding with new ads reflecting the trend. >> it used to be a woman's world. >> notice how clean my sink is lately? >> oh, yeah. looks great. >> cleaning -- and making the house a home. >> klear, the floor wax that dries clear as glass. >> while the men stuck to taking out the trash. but that's not the case anymore. according to data from the bureau of labor statistics and the university of maryland, men today do roughly 50% more housework than they did in 1965. ♪ what a man

>> and madison avenue is taking note. >> we asked real dads to put them to the test. >> more and more popular household brands are now targeting mr. mom in their ads. whether it's a man caring for the kids -- >> press the button, do this, bingo. >> -- or scrubbing the floors, ads are recognizing a change in the division of labor at home. so are we witnessing a revolution or just savvy marketing? donny deutch is the chairman of deutch incorporated. good morning. >> good morning. >> are we seeing a real trend? >> i think you're seeing an idealized version of a trend. you look at the drew brees commercial. he's obviously not a stay at home dad, he's a football player, we know that. they're not as much marketing to men, they're marketing to women an idealized version of men. the trend is moving in the direction, more men are doing more chores around the home, more of a modern family. but they're still targeting

women in the ads. >> in other words, they're trying to appeal to women by having a new more modern view of what the home is like? >> yes, so you see the dad with the cheerios, the dad is still not the main purchaser of cheeri cheerios. in my home, i'm still not the one shopping for it. i knew -- i know you were going to say something about it. but i think it's a more charming image. so even when you see the men cleaning, it's not necessarily they're doing the majority of cleaning, it's basically 2/3 of the women doing it. off camera, al roker said to me, yeah, finally, it's not the idiot dad in commercials. we're so used to seeing, dad can't do anything. now we're seeing a competent version of men. and that's a good thing. >> and i don't want to overstate it. but sometimes advertising is one of the things that influences culture, influences what happened. is this one of the things -- >> i think it holds up a mirror

to who we are. so it's really showing once again what we want the home to look like now. everybody pitching in whatnot. but i still don't think it's a depiction of what's really happening versus much of what women idealize their men to be like. i think that's what we do, hold up a mirror to the best of what we can be. it's interesting, looking at those old commercials. >> love them. >> there's something magical although we're in those horrible roles -- i don't know if there's something -- i'm going to get in trouble. >> we're out of time. you wish you lived in that time. we know, we know. the original madman. coming up next, we're going to take a turn and talk about the connecticut mother who lost her parents and children in a terrible christmas day fire. we'll ask how she's doing one year later after this. lashawn's got her christmas list. she's looking for a fijit at toys "r" us.

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back now at 8:19. a woman recovering from a heartbreaking holiday tragedy. last year on christmas morning, a house fire claimed the lives of madonna badger's three young daughters, lily, sarah, and grace as well as her parents. when i spoke with her six months ago, she was in the throes of enormous and unimaginable grief. this morning, madonna is with us to talk about how she's doing now. it's great to see you. it's nice to see you smiling a little bit. how are you doing? >> i'm doing really well. i'm shocked that i'm doing okay. but i'm doing really well. >> last time i talked to you, you said when you smiled or when you laughed you immediately felt guilty. >> yes. >> do you still feel that way? >> no, i don't feel that way. i mostly don't feel that way because when i do feel happy, when i do feel joyful, it's when i can feel the presence of my children and my mom and dad the most. >> i want to talk to you about

that. because in talking to our producers and you talking to them over the last couple of days, you said that you feel very strongly that over these last several months your daughters have been sending you messages. and i want you to be able to explain that. >> you know, i had -- i've seen my children in my dreams. when i pray, i see my children. lily came to me very early on and said don't worry, mommy, i'm right there in your heart and i love you. and once when i was having a level ten, the worst sort of cries, feels like blood is coming out of my eyes, sarah came to me in the mirror and she said, mummy, there's nothing to be afraid of. everything is going to be okay. >> okay. so these messages, these visions they have helped you go on? >> absolutely. i mean, honestly, i thought i was delusional, i thought i was a little nuts, but then i read "proof of heaven." >> he's been on the show. >> who is fantastic.

he sat down with me a couple weeks ago and had a cup of coffee. >> you've also been through professional help? >> yes. >> you've done a lot of therapy before finding the right kind of therapy. >> that's right. >> you admitted to me you contemplated suicide. >> absolutely. >> do you have those thoughts anymore? >> i don't. i don't. i don't have those thoughts anymore because mostly i don't know what would happen if i did that and i don't want to risk not being with my children. and so after being in three different mental institutions, my friend kate finally took me to the psychiatric research institute at the university of arkansas in little rock. and dr. smith, the director there was the first person that could really describe my grief and not treat me like i was a schizophrenic. >> you talk about your friend connecting you there. and you have -- i think we have to stop and remind people that when most folks go through tragedy they lean on their family. >> yes. >> this tragedy took the lives of your entire immediate family.

>> yes. >> so you have relied on a network of friends both here in new york -- and by the way, a lot of them are here this morning. i think more than 100 of them are out on our plaza this morning to show their continuing support of you. and in little rock, arkansas, where you've been living, there are some gathered there this morning. talk to me about what these people have meant to you on a daily basis. >> you know, these people have showered me with so much love. and given me hope. and i never felt judged. i never felt -- you know, i always felt like they were there for me. and through a million cards and texts and e-mails and dropping into my house and certainly my friend kate and jeff that let me come and live in their house for four months. you know, when i was gray, i was half my hair had fallen out. i was a disaster. and they made me promise i wouldn't kill myself. and they brought me back to

life. >> on a more serious note, your ex-husband gave an interview recently. and he talked about the fact that, a, he thought your daughters were placed on this earth for a reason and perhaps taken away for a reason. he also talked about the stages of grief he has been through. and he said at times he wanted to kill you and your boyfriend at the time of this fire, michael borsina who is the man officials believe placed the ashes there that caused the fire. how did it feel to hear that? >> i thought that was perfectly normal, you know. his response, i would have felt the same way. i certainly felt the same way. so i don't judge matthew's grief. i don't judge the journey that he's on. and in fact, i'm incredibly proud of him for what he's done with the lily, sarah, and grace fund. and i plan on turning over all of the money that was donated to the other 364 foundation to the lily, sarah, and grace fund. >> i want to ask you -- we're a couple of weeks away from

christmas. families around the world will celebrate. how are you going to mark that day? how hard will it be? >> every day is hard. christmas day, the first birthdays, mother's day, easter, every day is hard. i'm going to go to thailand. it's santa claus free zone and i'm going to go work in an orphanage there with young girls who have lost their families, little girls. and bring toys from my garage that belong to my children. and so -- you know, i'm going to pray and meditate and be with my kids and love them and do the very best i can. >> it's nice to see you again. and although i know it's still a really difficult time, it's awfully nice to see you smiling a little bit more. >> thank you. >> we appreciate you coming by. >> thank you so much. >> it's now 8:25, we're back with more of "today" right after these messages, your local news, and weather.

>> this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am mindy basara. let's check on the morning commute with sarah caldwell. >> we are dealing with eight new accident at the patapsco river bridge could all eastbound lanes are closed. eastbound 70, still dealing with delays from 40 towards 29 as you approach the beltway. speaking of the beltway, 26 minutes to get through the outer loop west side stretch. heavy traffic from the belt way down into town. 15 miles per hour on average bid on the northeast side, 13 miles per hour from perring

parkway. looking at a slow go from 83 from padonia, 12 miles per hour there. in dundalk, we have an accident and north point. 97, still experiencing southbound delays towards 50. john collins joins us with a look at the forecast. >> plenty of sunshine. looking at rain and a snow mixed in towards the rear legs. this -- towards the great lakes. for the time being, the next day or two, we're looking pretty good. temperatures, even with sunshine, 33 at b.w.i. marshall. humidity 61%. dry atmosphere. forecast for today, 44 to 49 for the hybrid mostly sunny skies. temperatures are seasonably chilly.

we look at the seven-day forecast, and we see rain chances going on friday and saturday and sunday. not all the time, though. >> we are back with another update at 8:56.

♪ it is 8:30 now on a thursday morning. it's the 6th day of december, 2012. our holiday toys drive continues with one of our favorites around here. that is pat moynahan. moynahan who is here collecting toys as our elf this morning. and we're going to talk to pat a little later on as he continues, though, to rake in the goods out

on our plaza this morning. i'm matt lauer along with savannah gurthrie, natalie morales, and al roker. we're going to talk to the duo responsible for "the hurt locker." they're out with a new movie already being talked about for best picture at the oscars, already racked up a lot of awards. and we're going to talk to the director and jason clark, they're all here, we'll speak to them in a few moments. remember, selma and kenny? just a terrific couple. married for 70 years, they made an internet video on the keys to keeping their marriage happy. well, they've got a new video out, their unique words of advice and wisdom coming up. >> we love them. also coming up, ann curry sits down with the legendary film maker peter jackson. she gets a sneak peek at the magic behind the movie to create the hobbit and some of the other "lord of the rings" trilogy. there you go.

the green screen. >> good outfit. all right, we've got a lot to get to. first, how about a check of the weather? >> i'd love to go to middle earth. i'm so jealous. for today, we'll show you we're looking at sunshine in the northeast, a little on the chilly side. l look for wet weather along the southeastern atlantic coast, more rain and snow, pacific northwest, fog, southern california, windy conditions, and rainy and icy in the northern u.p. of michigan. look for a lot of rain through the mid mississippi and ohio river valleys, rain in the pacific northwest, snow in the western plains, lots of sunshine through the gulf coast. that >> good morning. a big change temperature-wise today. it will be a quiet day. a mixture of sun and clouds.

>> and that's your latest weather. >> excellent weather report, al. thank you. coming up next, the oscar buzz and some of the controversy about the new movie about the hunt for osama bin laden. we are going to talk to the stars. but first this is "today" on nbc.

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and we're back now at 8:35 with a new movie called "zero dark 30." a story of the decade-long hunt for osama bin laden and the elite team of operatives who worked to track him down. take a look. >> there are two narratives about the location of osama bin laden. the one that you're most familiar with is that ubl is in a cave, that he's surrounded by

loyal fighters. the second narrative, that he's living in the city, living in a city with multiple points of egress and entries, access to communications so that he can keep in touch with the organization. you can't run a global network of interconnected cells from a cave. >> the movie reunites the oscar-winning team of director/producer katherine bigelow. with us along with two of the stars. good morning to all of you. nice to see you. >> good morning. >> it's a hollywood movie, maybe not a typical hollywood movie. it's a movie, not a documentary. how much of this is exactly real, based solely on facts, how much is the hollywood version of what happened? >> well, i'd have to say that it's based on firsthand accounts. so if what you see is a fairly accurate rendition of what happened. but it is a ten-year hunt compressed into 2 1/2 hours. and it really shows that journey through the eyes and ears of the

intelligence community on the ground and in the middle of that hunt. >> but did you add elements or take away elements simply to make the story tell itself better and to enhance the characters? >> i would jump in on that and just say as you know, this is a pretty naturally dramatic and exciting story. it's in some ways the greatest man hunt in history. so you don't have to really put too much top spin on the ball. and we were fortunate enough to be able to bring the story to life. >> let's talk about. i mean, before this movie was even close to being finished, there was some controversy. peter king came out, the chairman of the homeland security committee and said that he wanted an investigation from the cia and the department of defense to find out whether you guys were given classified information in the researching for this movie. and a lot of people were very concerned about that. so let's ask. did you get classified information from the administration in preparing for this movie? >> no. i mean, we did a lot of homework as i hope is evidenced on the

screen when you see the movie. and i hope people go see the movie and judge for themselves. but it's an election year and people say things in that process. and now that we have a movie that is actually going to be in theaters soon, i think people will see we didn't come with any agenda at all. >> i think one of the things they're going to be surprised at one of the center characters, perhaps the person most responsible for finding where he was hiding was a woman, the character you play, mya. what did you think of her? >> well, when i first read the script, i was shocked that a woman played a central role in it and then i was upset at myself that i was so shocked. why wouldn't a woman play a central role to it? it helps when your script writers and investigative journalists. three months before we start shooting to basically go to school. >> did you get to meet her? >> no, she's an undercover cia agent. >> was there pressure bringing her to the screen knowing she

may be watching your portrayal of her. >> or sitting next to me on a bus. >> she could be running the camera in here. we don't know. >> yes, there's a lot of pressure. because whenever you play a real life person, especially a woman i think as wonderful as mya, you don't want to do it wrong. but with this script it was hard to do it wrong. >> jason, we meet you early in this movie and it's tough. you are a cia caseworker and you are conducting interrogations, brutal interrogations of terror suspects that include waterboarding and putting dog collars on these suspects and, you know, exposing them in front of other people. how do you even prepare to do something like that? >> you just throw yourself into it. i love the way they threw us straight into the world of these people that we follow. people are doing the job. and as an actor, i wanted to do justice to the men and women that served in this story. >> and in one of the early

confrontations or discussions you had with a terror suspect you say to him, i'm not your friend, i'm not a nice guy. you lie to me, i'm going to hurt you. it's inevitable people are going to sit in the movie theater, katherine, and they're going to ask themselves if they think it was justified, if the ends justify the means. do you want to make a political statement with this movie? >> well, i think the film doesn't have an agenda. i think it just shows the story as -- you know the story of the greatest man hunt in history. that's part of that history. we needed to, you know, basically show all the pieces of that puzzle. and -- >> you want people to discuss that topic more? whether these kind of enhanced interrogation techniques are justified? >> i think it's a controversial topic already. and i think we're aware of that controversy. and we're not trying to score points in it. but hopefully people judge for themselves. and the people i've spoken to that have seen the movie have said it's kind of an edge of your seat thrilling film.

that's not bad. >> my hope is that people will see the movie, enjoy the movie, and judge for themselves. >> do you believe in kind of trends? i think the last time you were here, you were here as you found out you were nominated for best director for "hurt locker." are we going to get a phone call soon? do you think this movie has a shot for best picture? >> you know, i only just finished it ten days ago, so it's sort of hard for me to shift gears and think in those terms, but it would be an honor and be very gratifying. i hope people go and see the movie. >> i think a lot of people are going to see it. jason, jessica, mark, katherine, thank you for being here. and "zero dark 30" opens december 19th in new york and los angeles. new advice on grandparenting from the couple who taught us how to have the perfect marriage in the first place.

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back now at 8:43 with what it takes to be a good grandparent. this morning, we're going back to our experts. we first met kenny and salma when they posted their tips on their grandson's website audiocasset awkwardfamilyphotos.com. here to break down their advice, family and marriage therapist. good morning to both of you. >> good morning. >> let's agree at the outset, there's no one size fits all definition of a good grandparent. >> good grandparent bonds with the grandchildren and backs up the parents. >> we should say they've been married not only 72 years, they have four grandchildren, five great grandchildren. the first thing they tackle is how to make your grandchildren happy. take a look. >> when it comes to your grandsons or your granddaughters, you will allow them to do whatever they want because you want to make them happy. you don't want them to be sad.

and you tell them, okay, but don't tell mommy that i let you do it. >> that's right. we tell them to keep quiet. >> okay. i love that. they're the experts. is that okay? don't tell mommy and daddy? >> it's okay to bend the rules a little bit. because if it's just a cookie before dinner that's going to ruin dessert, that's okay. we all need a little indulgence. >> it's like a common enemy. they're kind of united against us and paint us as the bad guy. i think they share secrets together, all right, and there's a direct relationship they have with one another that's not going in between us. the reality is, they can't spoil your kids. they are not more powerful than you as a parent in terms of the influence. >> is there anything kind of weird for kids when they hear an adult say don't tell this person or that person? is that a burden on the child? >> you know what? if we're talking about i broke curfew and you're keeping that secret, it's dangerous, but generally grandparents are safe people because they have

perspective. i trust them to know when to bend the rule, when to toe the line. >> the next question about picking favorite grandchildren. we'll take a look. >> never, never, never pick a favorite. >> that's right. >> make sure you treat them all the same. >> you can talk on the side between the both of us, we can talk which one is better, but we don't allow the other person to know that we favor this one or we favor that one. >> well, actually, nobody is better than the other one, you know, they're all the same to us. >> i don't know what's going on here. so it's like selma's saying you can't have favorites and he's like, you can, just don't tell them. >> well, let's be honest. we have people we like to be around more than others, even among our kids. my kids know i like my daughter more than i like my son.

>> no, you do not. >> no, i'm joking, i don't like either one of them. it's okay, when they get older, it's okay to let them know, we absolutely love you, but there are behaviors you do that make it harder to be around you. >> and that's different than saying, therefore, i favor this other child. >> i have to tell you. there's a place i disagree. favorites wreak emotional havoc not with the grandchildren, but with the parents. when you babysit more for your daughter's kids, your son and daughter-in-law are bitter. that's a problem, don't show your cards. >> you're with selma on this. >> we're of like minds. >> i misspoke, it was kenny saying secretly you can have one. finally they have a clip about embracing technology. >> as a grandparent, don't be afraid of computers. i sit there and i enjoy getting -- >> you're right. every time i look for her, i

can't find her. she's always at the computer. she said don't do the dishes, i'll do them, and she doesn't go in and sits a the the computer and i have to do the dishes at night. >> i feel like we kind of got off track there. okay. the main point is, it's great if you can interact with your grand kids. >> it is essential. and technology is connection. your grandchildren, they speak skype, they speak text. speak their language. >> and my kids have eight grandparents, all right. because of divorce situations. and the ones they are closest with are the ones who are able to use technology more. so we encourages all of our parents to get on technology because it's the way our kids speak and communicate. that gives them a bridge of connection, again, when they can have a connection that's directly to them. >> you have to figure, if selma can do this, i can do this. >> selma's apparently on that computer all day long and the dishes are just sitting there. all right. great to talk to you. thank you so much. and coming up next, ann

heads to new zealand for a rare and revealing interview with the hobbit director peter jackson.

♪ as you might expect, fans are anxiously awaiting the release of "the hobbit," it's the prequel to the "lord of the rings" trilogy. expectations pretty high.

that means the pressure's on for the director peter jackson. ann curry traveled to his hometown of wellington, new zealand for a rare and exclusive interview. >> reporter: you may not recognize his face, but you can't help but know his movies. sir peter jackson. yes, he's a sir, is the creative genius behind blockbusters like "king kong" and "lord of the rings." now a decade after he directed and co-wrote "the ring's" trilogy, now comes "the hobbit." >> why did you fight so hard to keep the filming of this movie, "the hobbit," in new zealand? >> i've always wanted to make my films here. i just regard myself as a new zealand film maker. i don't feel compelled to go somewhere else in order to do what i want to do. >> reporter: he's been able to build an entire movie-making industry five minutes from his

home in wellington complete with high-tech special effect facilities, giant sound stages and a state of the art production house. it's even where "the hobbit" had its world premiere. >> you were credited with bringing hollywood to new zealand. so much of it wellington is called wellywood. wouldn't it have been easier to go to hollywood than bring hollywood here? >> not necessarily, it's easier to make your films if you have your own little world. i didn't leave my parents' house until i was 26 years old, and i don't want to leave the country. and if i can make films in new zealand and continue living here, then i think i'm the luckiest guy in the world. >> the visual power of peter jackson movies have caused some to ask just how did he get that on screen? >> go. >> we came to new zealand to get a glimpse at how he does it. and he took us into a studio and into his world of movie magic. >> i recognize this scene. >> he showed us advances in

performance capture, which he helped pioneer. >> as he's moving, that's what's happening on screen. how does that work? exactly. >> all of these guys are covered in these dots. and you can see the spoon he's got has the points on, as well. so each of these -- and if i take it away, you see, i don't have any dots on me so i'm not being recorded, but the spoon still is. >> it's floating there. >> it's floating. >> jackson also showed us how he captured actors playing characters at vastly different heights. to do that, he invited me on screen with him. >> oh, you want me to be gandolph. all right. >> and i'm bilbo and i'm standing here. if i look at you directly, it's not going to work. what i have to do is if i look at the screen and point with my hands and i'm looking -- that's where you are there. >> i see. >> so i get a mark up on the ceiling up there.

the way that it works, we're being shot with two separate cameras. one camera is a lot lower, so you're immediately looking bigger because the camera's at a much lower height. i'm looking up at you at about there. >> and i'm looking down at you right there. >> so this is your purpose. >> reporter: helped make "the hobbit" one of the most technologically advanced films of our time, building on innovation and creativity he began over a decade ago. he has devoted a fourth of his life to bringing to the screen. >> reporter: you will have spent 14 years making these "lord of the rings" and "hobbit" movies. do you think you'll look back on these films, these six films eventually as your greatest legacy as a director? >> well, it's an interesting question, because if i said yes, i'm assuming i'm never going to make anything that people regard quite as good as that. but the realistic question that may well be the case.

>> what a beautiful place. you look at the background, looks fake. >> it is a movie set. unbelievable. >> and "the hobbit" opens december 14th. you can see much more of the interview tonight on "rock center with brian williams." and tomorrow here on "today," ann will sit down with the cast of the hobbit in new zealand. >> looking forward to this. >> so excited. >> you're a big fan of "lord of the rings." >> he inhabits middle earth, actually, at all times. >> i'm going there for vacation. >> very nice. >> guys, i have something in my hand that is kind of hot property. this is the starbucks steel card. you pay $450 for this. >> it's real steel. >> it is. and entitles you to $400 worth of coffee for the year. >> it's a collectible. >> it is. it's a wallet show stopper. tell you more about it just ahead. >> talk about take three coming up.

>> this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am mindy basara. baltimore city police have made the 1000 gun arrest this year. they arrived at manchester ave with reports of a home invasion.

the suspect was carrying an

>> the sun is out this morning, but a little different. started out in the 20's and 30's, which guarantees a cold today. caprices northcom northwest at 10. >> -- the